


The Diary

by eridol



Category: Naruto
Genre: Diary/Journal, F/M, Friends to Lovers, I read your diary trope, Lee's a disaster, Neji's done with everyone's bullshit, but we love him anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eridol/pseuds/eridol
Summary: Rock Lee accidentally (but also totally on purpose) reads the diary of his crush and finds out that she returns his feelings. The only problem is that he isn't sure where to go from there in fear that she's going to be angry about his invasion of her privacy.
Relationships: Rock Lee/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 66





	The Diary

Rock Lee was buzzing with excitement as he sat in the living room of your apartment. You'd wanted to train with him and the others, but you were still in your bedroom getting ready, so he sat on the couch and looked around, dark eyes raking in every detail- the white sheer curtains that covered your window, the wooden bookshelf in the corner, the light wooden floors and matching walls, your glass coffee table, and the (f/c) couch he was currently sitting on.

You lived alone like a lot of ninjas did, and whether that was because your family life was complicated or because you'd just felt like moving out once you'd saved the money from your job as a ninja, he wasn't sure, but he didn't really ask- it was always awkward when people asked about his or Neji's family, so he tried not to put that feeling on other people. In the back of his mind, the ravenette wondered what was taking you so long. Guy-Sensei, Neji, and Tenten were probably all waiting at the training grounds for the two of you, and...

Trying to occupy his worries about being late with something else, he looked around the room again, eyes landing on the coffee table. There was something sitting on the surface that caught his attention, a little (f/c) notebook that he'd bought you for your birthday a couple of years back when the two of you had first met. You'd graduated from The Ninja Academy the year after him, Neji, and Tenten, but there had been a weird number of graduates, so while everyone was put into teams of three, you were the one who was leftover since you didn't seem to fit into any of them. The instructors had described you as incredibly talented and advanced in just about everything despite having only graduated recently, so you'd been stuck on Guy-Sensei's team a year late, and now they had a team of four students and one captain. It had been a bit of an adjustment, but one that everyone had grown used to rather quickly.

The only reason he'd brought you a notebook and a set of pens along with the cake he'd helped Tenten make was because he felt they were practical, useful gifts that wouldn't be tossed in the back of your closet and never used again, and upon seeing the notebook on your coffee table, he assumed that meant you'd used it recently.

But he also wondered what you'd used it for.

So, he picked the notebook up and opened it, thinking that you must've been using it for mission report drafts, training notes, or some other trivial thing like that.

Oh, how wrong he'd been. 

'Dear diary,'

He should've stopped there. Really, he meant to stop there- he swore! It was unyouthful to read a girl's diary, and he was about to close it when he saw his name right under the first line, which caused his self-restraint to fly out the window because he'd had a crush on you for years and couldn't help but be enthused at the thought of you talking or writing about him, even when he wasn't around to see or hear it.

'This whole crush on Lee thing is getting worse with each day that passes and I'm wondering how long I'm gonna be able to keep it a secret for. I mean, I've been in love with him for the past three years and he still hasn't noticed, so there's no way he's interested. I wouldn't be surprised if he still liked Sakura... Or maybe Neji if he swings that way-'

But then, he heard footsteps coming from your bedroom, and he was slamming the notebook shut and placing it back where it'd been on the coffee table a few moments before.

Lee leaned back into the couch, looking anywhere but at the diary and trying to look as inconspicuous as he possibly could. It seemed like he'd put the notebook back down just in time because you walked into the living room a few seconds later, gorgeous as ever. Lee couldn't help but smile at you, heart beating much faster than usual as he fully processed the information that you had a crush on him, too.

"Lee, are you alright?" You asked, tilting your head, (e/c) eyes laced with concern.

He offered a hurried nod, standing up and taking you by the hand.

"Of course! Never better! Now, let's go do some youthful training!"

~

After training that day, Guy-Sensei had offered to take everyone out for soba. Lee would usually go, but he was too racked with guilt to be near you for a minute, so he'd refused. Thankfully, Neji hardly ever tagged along when they went placed, so he'd refused as well, which brought Lee to his current whereabouts...

He was walking by Neji's side, trying to muster the appropriate words to describe everything that happened. Neji hadn't even addressed him, but he looked like he was becoming increasingly annoyed by Lee's presence, so the ravenette decided to speak up before the brunette bit his head off.

"Neji! I've done something terrible!"

"Oh, for the love of God, it is way too early for this," Neji responded as he allowed his cream-hued eyes to fall shut for a few seconds, pausing where he stood and rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger. They'd been walking down the dirt road that led back to the Hyuga compound from the training grounds, but since Neji had stopped, Lee did, too.

"But it's two in the afternoon!"

"Tell me something I don't know," Neji scoffed, opening his eyes and shooting a confused glance at Lee, clearly waiting for him to clarify what he'd done.

"I read (y/n)'s diary by accident but then on purpose and it turns out that she has a crush on me!"

"Didn't think I'd be repeating myself, but again, tell me something I don't know," Neji scoffed, and Lee could only blink. Had Neji already known? Who else knew? Was Lee just oblivious or something like you'd written? Now he just felt bad- both for reading your diary in the first place and for not noticing your feelings earlier. Then again, it definitely would've helped if you'd said something! How much time had the two of you wasted skirting around each other and keeping your feelings a secret?

"I don't know what to do!" Lee exclaimed, pushing his bangs out of his face, only for them to fall right back. 

"You like her, don't you? This should be good news," Neji actually tried to be somewhat comforting despite his clear annoyance, resting a hand on Lee's shoulder and offering an uncharacteristically soft gaze.

"Well, yes, but..." Lee trailed off, raising a hand to nervously rub up and down the length of the jumpsuit that covered his forearm, finding solace in the familiar texture of the green material. "I feel guilty for finding out that way! It wasn't my business."

"The ends justify the means in this situation, but if you really feel that guilty, just talk to her about it and be honest."

"Yeah, you're right, Neji!" Lee smiled, giving a determined nod before crossing his arms. "I'll definitely do that. Thank you for the youthful advice!"

"...Sure thing."

~

To make a long story short, doing that had been a lot harder than he'd initially anticipated. It was the next day and he still hadn't said anything despite promising himself that he would. He'd been training with you, Neji, and Tenten for the past few hours, trying to work up the guts to pull you aside and tell you the truth to no avail.

Lee couldn't function very well when he was nervous, apparently. He'd been stumbling and falling and failing all day, which was made evident when you finally managed to land a punch on him, something you'd been struggling with for a good amount of time. The ravenette was sent flying back, landing on the ground on his back with a thud that resonated through the area. Neji and Tenten, who had been sitting on one of the logs in the area to take their lunch break, both paused. You stood there aimlessly, eyes blown wide as you were seemingly surprised by the strength of your own hit.

Once the shock faded away, you came to your senses and ran towards Lee, clearly frantic.

"L-Lee! Are you okay?" You offered him a hand, and he took it, allowing you to help him up before you pulled away and crossed your arms, giving him a look of genuine worry. "You've been distracted all day!"

"I'm doing great, never better!" Lee lied through his teeth, turning his back to you and offering a thumbs up. "Now excuse me while I go home and slam my head into the wall. See ya, (y/n)!"

He ran off, and you being you ran after him.

After he left with you following after him, Tenten turned to Neji with crossed arms and raised eyebrows.

"What the hell was that?" The girl asked, eyebrows now furrowing as she stared at where you and Lee were slowly retreating from sight.

Neji only shook his head and sighed, eyes falling shut. It had only been a day and he was already growing annoyed by this, more than he'd been by you and Lee's painful-to-watch pining for the past few years.

"Don't even ask, Tenten... Don't even ask."

~

Another week had passed and Lee still hadn't done it. He grew increasingly nervous with each day, and even he knew that it was becoming apparent to everyone around him. Guy-Sensei had pulled him aside to try to pry the issue out of him three different times to no avail, you were growing increasingly concerned, and Tenten and Neji were nothing but annoyed by the entire situation. Lee still hadn't told Tenten, but he assumed that Neji probably had by now considering how close the two were.

You had invited Neji, Lee, and Tenten over for dinner at yours, though Tenten hadn't been able to attend due to having a date with her girlfriend Temari, who was visiting from The Sand Village. So, it was just him, you, and Neji. The food was still cooking as the three of you shared the small square table, each of you sitting at one of the ends, you and Lee across each other and Neji at one of the sides.

It was tense. Awkward. You all knew something was off, and Lee was wondering what would have to give before he told you the truth.

Apparently, the thing that gave was going to be Neji's patience.

"For fuck's sake, I am so sick of this stupid fucking bullshit," Neji hissed, slamming his hands down on the coffee table before standing up and shooting a glare in Lee's direction, and then in yours. Both of you gulped. "He read your diary, (y/n), and you've both been in love with each other for literal years. Now, you two work it out."

With that, Neji left the kitchen, exiting your house through the back door, and you and Lee were sitting there, awkwardly quiet before you decided to break the silence.

"So..." You paused, clearing your throat before you bashfully made eye-contact with him, (e/c) melting into charcoal. "You read it, huh?"

"I-I'm so sorry! I swear it was an accident- really!" He apologized, standing from his spot at the kitchen table and frantically waving his hands as he averted his gaze. You stood as well, crossing your arms and listening to him. "I know that was rather unyouthful of me, but I saw it laying around last time I was over at your house and ended up reading it because I was curious, so when I saw my name in it I just couldn't stop!"

"So you know about my crush on you now, huh?" You questioned, offering a half-hearted smile, and Lee nodded.

"W-Well, yes, but..." The ravenette sighed, fiddling with his fingers before meeting your eyes again and reaching into his pocket, pulling out a piece of notebook paper, which he pushed into your hands. "I'm truly sorry. I've been meaning to give you this in return."

Lee had been carrying around the page in his pocket since the day he'd decided he wanted to tell you the truth, figuring that it was only fair to let you read an entry from his diary since he'd read one of yours. He'd been writing in diaries for years, finding it to be the perfect way to express his feelings when he couldn't do it in words- he'd written about you almost every day since the two of you had met. 

"Is this...?" You trailed off, looking at him, and then back at the paper as you slowly unfolded it your eyes meeting his again.

"Yes. It's, uh, a page from my diary..."

"Oh my," You blinked, folding the page back and pushing it into one of his pockets, shaking your head. "Lee, take this back. I can't read what's not my business. I know you didn't mean anything by it when you-"

"I love you, (y/n)!" Lee cut you off, taking one of your hands and holding it in both of his, calloused fingers squeezing in a reassuring manner. "I love you, too- more than anything!"

"You mean that?" You questioned, cautious but attentive to his words, and he nodded.

"Like I said," He began to reiterate, a lopsided smile taking over his face. "More than anything. Always."

"Well... You know I love you, too," You smiled back, and Lee let out a sigh of relief before you were leaning up and pressing a chaste kiss against his lips, effectively making his face burn red. "Always."


End file.
